Chez Javert
by squiresteve
Summary: Javert runs a quaint little restaurant in the middle of bustling Paris. But when Marius comes seeking a job, he finds there is more to his new boss than meets the eye.
1. La Journee Est Finie

"Don't be a wuss Enjolras." Grantaire and Coufeyrac drunkenly stumbled down the street, while their slightly less drunk friend Enjolras refused to step any further.

"I'm not going in that cafe, not on a full moon!"

"It's just a cafe."

"A haunted cafe!"

"Enjolras," Courfeyac put his hand on Enjolras' shoulder. "I'm hungry."

Enjolras shuddered, remembering the last time Cofureyac was hungry. "No. I'm sorry just like, people say it's haunted, so I don't wanna go. I'll cook you guys dinner, okay?"

"Your cooking sucks."

"It does not! Grantaire are you hearing this?!"

Grantaire was dancing weirdly. "Yeah it's pretty bad."

"Grantaire, you're supposed to be on my side! Do you wanna sleep with me or not?!"

"Well yeah but-"

"Hey." A grumbly voice seeped out of the shadows.

Enjolras squinted into the dark abyss. "Uh. Hey?"

"I heard you boys wanted to visit the haunted cafe."

"Well I didn't but-"

"First off, it's a restaurant. Not a cafe."

"Okay... but my friends wanted to go."

"Don't." The voice growled. "Don't go near that restaurant, ya hear?"

"Well why?"

"...Reasons."

"Is it because it's haunted?"

"...Maybe."

Enjolras turned in to huddle with his buds. "Well team. What's the verdict?"

"I'm hungry."

Grantaire pointed to himself sloppily. "I'm drunk."

Hesitantly, Enjolras turned back into the vague darkness. "Sorry, I think we're still gonna go."

"I see..."

"Is that okay with you?"

"Perhaps... this will convince you."

The figure slowly emerged, his features becoming more discernible as he approached the boys. They noticed something odd about the man, something slightly recognizeable and something slightly...sinister.

"Oh." The boys' eyes widened.

"My." They clutched each other tightly.

"G-"

Three high pitched screams faded into the night sky.

***CHEZ JAVERT***

Marius clutched the paper in his hand, reading the address scrawled on the front. 417 Rue de L'Homme Arme. Reading the corresponding sign, Marius stood outside of a quaint, single-story restaurant with a green and brown color scheme. Ugly, bread-themed paintings lined the walls as many elderly people inside ate various soups.

"Well." He folded up the paper. "This is it."

Upon opening the door, Marius caught sight of a scraggly girl surrounded by a perpetual cloud of dust and mopping the floor. Her eyes lit up instantly.

"W-welcome!"

"Um... hi."

"C-can I interest you in some soup-"

"No I-"

"We have bread bowls! Salads, sandwiches, even smoothies now-"

"I need to speak with your manager."

"Oh." The girl pulled him into a close whisper. "_I didn't do it._"

"What?"

"_Keep your voice down!_" She inhaled deeply. "_You know, you smell nice._"

"Okay could I-"

Across the room, the green double doors to the kitchen area swung open, revealing a bulky, strong-looking gentleman with long hair and even longer side-burns. "Eponine!" He stomped towards the scraggly girl. "What did I say about harassing the customers?!"

"Who says I was harassing him?"

"To tell you the truth, I saw an attractive young man walk in so I had a bit of a feeling."

"That's not proof!"

"Eponine you harass any able-bodied hot piece of ass that walks in this establishment!"

Marius gulped. "Piece of ass?"

"All I'm saying is just because you got the goods, doesn't mean the market's in town!"

Eponine gasped. "That's not nice!"

"This is Paris and this is the 19th century, the hot piece of ass population is rising exponentially and we can't have you destroying this restaurant with your antics!"

"Well what about you, Javert?" Eponine gestured to side-burns man, who had his hands on Marius' shoulders for the past five minutes.

The man looked down to Marius' comparatively small frame. "And just who are you, causing all this ruckus?"

"Uh. I'm Marius."

"Okay."

"I was hoping I could speak with your manager please?"

"I am he."

"Could I uh-" Marius' voice cracked. "Could I speak with you privately?"

Javert removed his hands from Marius' shoulders and squinted. "I have an office. Follow me." Javert made the 'I'm watching you' gesture to Eponine and she flipped him off.

* * *

"So."

"So..."

"What brings you here, Mario?"

"It's Marius and-" Javert looked like he didn't enjoy being corrected. Marius' voice cracked again. "A-actually a few of my friends suddenly disappeared a few days ago, and I can't help but feel like I need to get a job here."

Javert blinked. "Why...?"

"Well the last thing they left behind was a note with this address on it."

"You don't think I abducted your friends, do you?"

Marius gasped. "No, I hadn't even thought of that! Did you?"

The side-burned man roared with slow, rumbling laughter. "Okay! What experience do you have?"

"...Experience?"

"As in what were your past jobs, your references, do you have a resume, et cetera..."

"Oh, sorry. I'll be going now."

"Well hold your horses son, sit back down."

"But I don't have an et cetera!"

Javert sighed. "You see, we're deeply committed to hiring young people with little to no work experience."

"Well aren't I lucky, I've never worked a day in my life!"

"In fact, we turn you away if you're too experienced. We'd rather you have absolutely no idea what you're doing and be unfit for basic human survival!"

"That's great! So I'm hired, then?"

Javert had another fit of overenthusiastic laughter. Marius joined in. "Getting a job is so easy! My grandfather will be so impressed!"

"You bet he will!" Javert suddenly got deathly serious. "You're on register." Handing Marius a green apron and baseball cap decorated with baguettes, he grinned maliciously.

"Welcome to Panera Bread... _Mariah._"


	2. L'Air De La Misere

Marius stood at the counter awkwardly, awaiting potential customers. But every time someone approached the shop, they turned away and continued down the street. Eponine mopped in a small circle, cleaning the same spot over and over.

"So how are you feeling, new BFF?"

"I don't think we're close enough to be BFFs Eponine."

"You work here now?"

"Obviously by my matching green Panera apron and hat I do in fact work here... jeesh."

She creepily grinned. "Are you nervous for customers?"

"Well I was before, because Javert just pushed me out here with no training." He poked the cash register a bit, it flew open and jabbed him in the lower abdomen. "But- OW! No one seems to want to eat at this place."

"That's because it's only 11:59."

"What?"

"The second it turnes 12pm and it's officially lunch time... you'll see."

Marius blinked. "See... what?"

Eponine continued mopping the same spot, switching from counter-clockwise to clockwise. _30 seconds._ A thunderous rumbling echoed in the distance. A single drop of sweat trickled down Marius' freckled face. _15 seconds._ A lone, beady-eyed fat man approached the door, oogling at Marius and giggling to himself. He wrung his sweaty little hands. _5 seconds._ Marius' breathing increased in rate as he felt a bit of bile work its way up his throat. The man used his small chubby hand to slowly inch the door open.

12:00pm.

Dozens of hungry customers gushed in the door, diffusing throughout the restaurant and swarming as if queueing was never invented. They clawed through each other, writhing like earth worms; at this point they had lost any remaining instances of humanity. "BREAD BOWL." They chanted, fingers crooked and stomachs grumbling."BREAD BOWL." Marius stood dumbfounded, he could not believe they weren't saying 'please' like polite, grown adults. "BREAD BOWL." Their eyes bulged like dead fish.

"EW WHAT DO I DO?!" Marius screamed over the brainless raving surrounding him. "GOD THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"

"Take their orders!" Eponing was at a safe distance, still slowly mopping.

"HOW DO I DO THAT?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I AM!"

"Ask them what they want!"

"UM WHY DON'T YOU DO THIS?!"

"Hello, I'm mopping!" She gestured to the mop.

"UGH!" A tall female customer grabbed his face "UM EXCUSE ME MA'AM THAT'S MY FACE!"

People began climbing on the counters and tables, hitting the walls, and even intruding in the kitchen area. Javert took notice and peaked out of his office hallway.

"What is the meaning of this, Marius?!"

Another customer grabbed his arm and he squealed. "I CAN'T CONTROL THEM, JAVERT! I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH!"

"Marius listen! I hired you for a reason. You have the power to end this." Javert squinted. "_Now make me proud._" He slammed the door.

"EPONIIINE!" Marius was desperate; numerous customers were now dragging him to the floor and grasping for the cash register. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE IN LOVE WITH ME, WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING?!"

"This is a battle you have to fight on your own, Marius."

"I DON'T KNOW HOW, I HAVE NO JOB EXPERIENCE!"

"Just say it, Marius." She held the broom steady at her side, like a triumphant staff. "Say the words that will turn any Panera customer away."

"BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE!"

A man in a top hat was now dragging him by the ears as a bulky lady seized his hands. The rabid customers pulled him more and more into the cesspool of greed. "BREAD BOWL," they chanted, consuming Marius' entire being. He lost control, as he, in the highest-pitch scream he could accomplish, squealed out the only words he could muster.

"WE'RE OUT OF BREAD BOWLS!"

The windows shattered, tables flipped, and people fell as the life returned to their eyes.

"Out of bread bowls?" One complained.

"What am I supposed to eat now?" Hissed another.

Various voices continued: "I drove all the way here!" "Unbelievable." "_This_ is what's wrong with this country."

The restaurant shortly cleared as they released Marius, his face slamming into the dirty tile floor. "Thanks for ruining _everything!_" The last person spat as Marius faded into deep unconsciousness...

* * *

"_Marian..._"

Marius groaned quietly, his forehead throbbing. He felt a slick coat-like material beneath him as he began to sit up.

"_Shh... it's okay_." A firm hand cupped the back of his head, guiding him to lie back down.

"Where am I...?"

"You're in my office." Marius opened his eyes and saw he was lying on Javert's desk, on top of a navy blue trench coat. Javert sat in the chair next to him. "You were knocked unconscious." He chortled. "You saved my restaurant, Marian."

"But, I scared all the customers away and broke all the windows!"

"You sure did. I've only heard a scream like that once before." He put his hand on Marius' forehead. "You said your friends disappeared Tuesday night?"

"You saw them?"

"No, but I think I head them. Three screams like that from across town. I was on duty that night."

"You're a prostitute?!"

Javert laughed; he was stroking Marius' hair at this point (he had a feeling Javert did this while he was unconscious). "Not quite! Police officer."

"What's a police officer doing running this salty old place?"

"Do you want to know why I took over this establishment? I'm afraid to admit, it's a bit embarrassing."

"Oh it's okay, I'm extremely embarrassing."

"Well... I was drawn to this place to find a man."

Marius paused. "Well France is becoming more liberal by the day I hear."

"He's an escaped convict, first arrested for stealing a loaf of bread. I know he's living a double life in this town, and with all this bread around, I can't help but feel he's bound to show up." He sighed, turning to the window. "Incidentally, it hasn't been all too successful. This place gives off a quaint cafe vibe, but, spending enough time here you'll realize it's nothing but an overpriced Sweet Tomatoes. It's not even a buffet! No one with _actual_ money would ever step foot in here..."

"Well, I can't say I've ever been here, but don't give up so quickly!"

"I've been working here for 4 months."

"Well, maybe he won't show up for the weird food."

"What do you mean."

"Maybe... he'll show up to see you!"

Javert turned around abruptly. "Y-you really think so?"

"Anything's possible, _if you believe_."

"I-I think I believe!"

Marius smiled. "That's the spirit! But wait, why did you say I saved your restaurant?"

"You drove the crowds out, Myriam. You see, when there's too many people in here we look more and more like a crusty chain. I try to drive out normal customers as much as possible. The less we look like a legit cafe the less chance I have of catching 24601."

"Aw, that's his name?"

Javert blushed. "Yeah..."

The door swung open and Eponine rushed in. She stood in the doorway staring for a moment.

"What can I do for you, Eponine?"

"A customer's been standing at the counter for 20 minutes and I don't know how to work the cash register."

"Well, neither does Marius."

"Yeah but I can't read the numbers."

Javert sighed. "Let's go, Marius."

Marius and Javert made their way to the front counter. An aging yet built man stood at the counter, with a gray beard and salt-and-pepper hair. He wore an expensive green coat, and was accompanied by a young, pretty girl in a black, lacy dress. Javert froze, his hand clawing into Marius' elbow. He quickly ducked under the counter, dragging Marius down with him.

"What are you doing, Javert?! The customer's right there!"

"That's him!"

"Yes, that's the customer! There's actually two customers, you terrible manager!"

"No, that's _him!_" Javert's eyes widened in horror, his teeth chattering like a skeleton. "That's prisoner 24601!"


	3. La Devise du Cabaretier

"Marius..."

"Yes...Enjolras?"

"Promise me this..."

Marius reached for Enjolras' trembling hand, but it clinged onto Marius' thin arm. They sat on the ground of a dark, damp alley.

"Promise me... you'll uncover the secret..."

"The secret of what?!"

"Promise me, you'll let everyone know about-"

Two gloved hands stifled Enjolras' words and began to drag him into the shadows. He continued to grasp Marius' arm until his strength wouldn't allow him. All noises faded. Marius sat alone.

* * *

Javert's nails dug into Marius' arm. "That's prisoner 24601!"

"Well, let's go talk to him!"

"What?!"

"You want to see him so badly, why don't we just talk to him?"

"Marius!" He gripped him angrily. "He's a prisoner, he won't want to be arrested!"

He blinked. "Not if he doesn't know the true meaning of justice!"

Marius sprung up from behind the counter. "Hello sir and ma'am!"

"Oh, son!" The man jumped backwards. "You frightened me there!"

"Sorry there, sir. Deepest apologies." Marius smiled very wide and very awkwardly. "I, uh, have someone who's very excited to meet you. He's been raving about you all day!"

The man had a very confused expression.

"I'd like you to meet my boss." He lifted Javert up from behind the counter, who was smiling a little too wide. "Behold, the owner of this humble cafe, Chez Javert!"

The man fell silent, scrunching his face. The girl, confused, spoke up."...I thought this was a Panera?"

"Oh it is!" They stared in each others eyes for a few seconds.

"...Can I have a chicken noodle soup-"

"Now hold your horses for just a bit. This, m'lady, is a very _special_ Panera, run with dedication, heart, and- what the!"

Javert was gone.

"Stay right there, I'll... be right back!" Marius sprinted back to Javert's office, where the inspector sat, hands in face.

"What the heck are you doing, boss?! I got him pinned!"

"Marius..." Javert grumbled in a deep baritone. "He...recognized me."

"Well that's perfect, you guys will be best friends in no time!"

"If he recognized me, and you let him go... he'll never come back again!"

"Are you...crying?"

Javert sniffed pitifully.

"Hey... hey boss! Don't be so down on yourself." Marius kneeled next to Javert, rubbing his back. "Sure everything you've been working for for the past few months has gone down the toilet because of me and now you're stuck with this terrible restaurant for nothing but... we can fix this. We can get out of this together, okay?"

"HOW?!"

The color drained from Marius' face and he slowly backed away, bottom lip quivering.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"I don't-" He sniffled. "Like people yelling at me."

The two grown men sobbed together in the office for a good minute. Marius, standing up and crying against the wall, suddenly hatched an idea. He wiped his face and turned around, squinting thoughtfully.

"I think I've hatched an idea..."

"What useful thing could you possibly think of?"

"Hey. Do you want to hear it or not?"

Javert went silent.

"Okay, so the guy you're looking for, he had his daughter with him."

"Actually it's a girl he adopted from a dying prostitute, not his biological daughter. He's single."

"Okay. Well I was thinking I could take one for the team and get her to like me, so her and her father would HAVE to come back to visit!"

Javert raised an eyebrow.

"I mean I _guess_ I could use my superior seductive abilities for your sake. If I had to."

"Well, if you don't want to help me, leave."

Marius looked like he was going to cry again. "Harsh!"

"But!" Javert stood up, holding his hand out to be shook. "If you think you can do it, I want you on my team."

"You... trust me?"

"Yes Margaret. I do."

Marius shook his hand vigorously, and Javert headed out of the office.

"Don't let me down, partner!" He winked as he departed down the hallway.

Marius put his hand in his pocket, pulling out a small slip of paper, and reading his friend's scratchy writing. 4_17 Rue de L'Homme Arme. HELP US._ He crumpled the note in his hands, frowning bitterly. "I will, Enjolras. _I will._"

"Margaret, come here!"

Marius ran back to the front counter, where Javert stood, holding a small, pink piece of paper.

"What's that?"

"This... is our ticket to justice." He handed it to Marius, smiling, and sauntered away.

Marius opened up the paper, this one in careful, curly handwriting that used a heart at the end instead of a period. _My father made us leave quickly for some reason, but don't worry, I'll be back to see you soon. -Cosette_


	4. Donnez

Marius and Cosette sat in a small booth at the corner of the restaurant. Cosette sipped on a lemonade while Marius gazed into her eyes.

"Whatcha thinkin about?" She took a sip.

"I'm just so glad I met you..."

"Me too. What are the odds, you having a shift the only time I planned on stepping foot in this weird, dubiously-themed eatery?"

"Well I am the only person who works here."

"What about her?" Eponine, mop in hand, glared at both of them.

Marius whispered. "I'm the boss' favorite."

"You know, now that you mention it, I haven't seen you work since the day we met."

"He's a cool dude." Marius gave a thumbs up to Javert, who stood at the counter and gave a nod. "So what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. Got anything in mind?"

"Well I was thinking, since we've known each other for about a month now, that you could bring your dad back into the restaurant."

"What? Why?"

"Well we could visit, eat some bread, you know."

"Marius, he is absolutely terrified of bread. And he hates you."

"They do say the only way to get rid of a fear is being exposed to it."

"Marius that's a terrible idea. The minute he discovers you're my boyfriend, he'll start remembering to lock my door again, which reminds me-" She collected her frilly coin purse and flowery shawl and stood up. "He closes the gate at 6 and I'm a bad climber, so I'll be going."

"Cosette wait! At least let me walk you home!"

"Gotta jet, sorry Marius!" She hurriedly exited the restaurant.

Marius sauntered towards the counter, where he was met with a consoling back-pat.

"How's it going?"

"Maybe I'm a little in over my head."

"Don't rush, okay? We're on our way to catching 24601."

"Not even about him, I just feel like Cosette doesn't like me."

Javert stepped back, clearly hurt. "_Not_ about 24601? Don't tell me-"

"N-no, I didn't mean that."

"We have a deal, Marinara. I took your word."

"And you have my word. We'll get him." He held his hand out to be shook.

"For your sake, I hope so." Javert turned away coldly and left for his office.

Eponine creeped toward Marius like a baby bat. She gripped the mop with both hands and stood behind him, vaguely grinning.

"Boss gotcha down, huh?"

"He's just so strange... sometimes he's friendly and open, and acts like we're the same, but other times... I don't know. He just turns."

"You're lucky though." She mopped coyly. "Usually guys like you don't last this long..."

"Guys like me?"

"Students. Optimistic young boys who think they can change the world. Javert doesn't put up with them, so they're usually gone right away."

"But I never said I could change the world!"

"I think that's why he took to you. You're different from the other students. You may be friends with them but... you're special."

Marius sighed, clenching his fists. Painful memories of his closest friends bubbled up into his consciousness. He tried to shove them back down, but his discomfort was made visible to Eponine.

"You miss them, don't you?"

"...Miss who?"

She smiled. "I get the feeling you'll see them soon."

"What?!"

Eponine meandered across the restaurant. "Sorry Marius, gotta mop."

* * *

It was 11 pm, and the streets were desolate except for one lone man, lighting the streetlamps. The Panera Bread, too, was nearly empty.

Marius entered Javert's office, as the older man was writing something down in a notebook.

"Everything's all locked up, boss."

"Great, thank you, Marius."

Marius swallowed hard. "I'm, uh, sorry about earlier today. Honestly, I want to help you."

"It's fine. We all slip up from time to time."

There was a long pause.

"Anything you'd like to talk to me about, Marius?"

"Nothing, honest."

"How about you take a seat?"

Marius complied. He was normally comfortable with Javert, but today things felt awkward and unnatural. He wrung his hands nervously.

"You seem tense."

Marius was clawing his own hands to the point of drawing blood "Really?"

"Did Eponine do anything... off-putting? She's quite good at that."

Marius' eyes widened in horror, wondering how Javert could have known about their conversation. He tried to hide his shock, failing miserably.

"I see. Listen. Eponine has no idea what she's talking about, ever. She says things just to say things."

"She said I'd see my friends soon."

Javert paused carefully. "Your friends are missing. She's clearly lying."

"I never told Eponine about them, there's no way for her to know."

"I'm starting to get the feeling you're performing your own little investigation, Marius." Marius put on his poker face. Javert continued. "I'm the police officer. Your friends left a note leading you to me because I have the skills necessary to find them. But you work for me now, and under contract, I can't give you what you want, until you give me what I want."

Marius squinted, Javert used too many words for him.

"I can't find your friends until you find my man."

"But that's not fair, they could be in danger!"

"Sorry son, that's the name of the game." Javert smirked. "I suggest you speed things along."

"I have!"

"Pardon?"

Marius stood up triumphantly. "Cosette came back this evening, she said we're invited over for dinner whenever we're both available!"

Javert sat for a moment, flabbergasted. "Both of us?!"

"Well, initially just me, but I asked if you could come along because you're my main man!"

"Well, tell her we can come as soon as possible! When does she come back?!"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll let her know."

"Perfect. I'm counting on you, Marius."

Marius smiled proudly and nodded. He sped out the door and onto the dimly lit streets to his home.

* * *

The next morning, Marius went in to work a bit early to open up the shop. Cosette was waiting for him at their usual booth.

"How'd you get in?!"

"I got here as soon as I could, your boss let me in!"

"Gosh, I'd love to sit here and talk but the early birds are gonna come in any second and Eponine can't handle them by herself. She hasn't even mopped yet-"

"Eponine won't be coming in any more." Javert was standing directly behind Marius.

He turned around slowly, hands shaking. "...Why?"

"I let her go. Thought this job was too much for her to handle. Carry on, young people." Javert walked to his office, laughing to himself about his 'young people' comment.

"_Cosette._" Marius grabbed her shoulders with urgency. "_We're gonna need to come over tonight._"


End file.
